AN UNWRITTEN LAW

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 97, 21 October 1924, Page 8

AN UNWRITTEN LAW

PROPAGANDA & POLITICS

NEW ZEALAND LABOUR PARTY'S

DEFENCE

TO THE EDITOR,

Sir,—The feelings of the New Zealand Labour movement as expressed in the cable to the Labour Party in the Homeland has apparently stirred up the opponents of Labour in and' out of Parliament. The leading article in your issue of the 18th inst. stresses some points and contains some statements that will, when examined; reveal the error which you say- it is objectionable to propagate anywhere. The terms of the cable are such that the question of error can be easily determined. What did it say? New Zealand Labour movement '. sends fraternal greetings to British Labour Party. British Labour Gov.ernment's action regarding Singapore, Anglo-Russian Treaty, and Imperial Preference heartily endorsed. Your masterly ' handling of the European situation has changed the world out- , look from war to peace, chaos to order, menace- to promise, arid placed • Britain in the forefront of nations who 1 desire international peace, scientific reconstruction, and social welfare! New Zealand .Labour urges all lovers of freedom in the Homeland to give you the opportunity of continuing the good work in building up the British Commonwealth and -international -. goodwill. . I , As to the Singapore Base, the opinion of New Zealand \yas cabled to London when the debate was in .progress in the House of Commons. ..The Labour Party's viewpoint is that the establishment of the Singapore Base would not fulfil the . purppse advocated-I —would be an incitement to other nations to build counteracting bases, and its value is discounted by the evidence of. some of the ablest men in British Army arid Navy circles; but_ the chief absurdity of the Conservative scheme was the spending of £20,----000,000 in providing a base for defence against one nation only, whilst at the '■■ same time promoting loans to 'enable ! that same nation to build ships to attack the base. .Mr. 'Ramsay statement when announcing the decision' of the party on the scheme was a remarkable contribution to that ■ amity' which is so essential if peace is to prevail between the nations. . ' , ■ Zour remarks with regard to the Anglo-Kussian Treaty reveals the' -fact that you have not read the Treaty which you 'criticise the party for . approving, and this, coming on top of your ridiculous statement as to the mind of the Labour Cabinet on the question completes the . most absurd blunder a newspaper could possibly make. (i The question of most interest isi .What must Eussia do as a condition precedent to the. interest and sinking fund of; a loan being- guaranteed by the British Government'/" ' :. This requires careful examination. (i<,ir h T Presellt Russian ' Government on 28£h January, 1918, annulled all the debts made by tho former Imperial and Provisional Governments. By the pre>en,fc Treaty it reverses that Act, and ■undertakes to satisfy the claims of British holders of loans issued or taken over or guaranteed by the former Imperial Russian Government, or by the municipalities of town 3in tho territory now included m: the union. It 'does not -propose to pay in full. This it dcclareilo be impossible owing to its present financial and economic condition. When it ;has come to an agreement with the holders of not less than one-half of the -bonds, the terms of the agreement are to be embodied in an ; agreement between the two Governments. ■ Not until then can the British Government recommend Parliament to guarantee the interest and sinking fund of a loan. U) liie boviet Government recognises all claims by British subjects in respect of loss or injury due to events which took place between Ist August 1911 and-the date of the proposed treaty, and admits .that as the. British claims aro much greater than uny claims the subjects of the Soviet Eopublic can have •the amount shall bo settled by the payment of a "lump sum" to the British Government, which shall distribute as it considers just. The determination of tho amount of this lump sum and the method of My . i ment are also a condition precedent to' the recommendation to Parliament above-mentioned. "mamem, (3) It will bo within tho memory of most people that the SoViet Government passed decrees nationalising industrial businesses and land. The ..Russian Gov-' .eminent undertakes to " negotiate with British subjects whose businesses or concessions have been nationalised or cancelled and will arrange for "the grant, of just compensation for such claims " 'An agreed settlement of property claims under this head is als6 a condition precedent to the recommendation to Parliament to guarantee the interest and sinking fund of a loan. Thus, it is only after 1, 2, and 3 have been settled that the question of the loan arises. The amount, terms, and ■ conditions of the loan avo then to form part of the same Treaty as the settlement under 1, 2, and 3. All these conditions must be complied with bsfore the loan is granted, and the loan, is-not to be granted or guaranteed unless these' conditions aro fulfilled ™f nf '^ ai\ ches£f Guardian" in its issue of 7th August, says : "Apparently the Bolshevik delegates havo been able to satisfy the demand of the British delegates for the recognition of the claims ot the property-holders to compensation for the loss of property that has been I confiscated on Bolshevik principles. Mr Ponsonby. whose conduct of theso lone and difficult negotiations has earned high praise from all have been in touch with the proceedings,, explained in the House that he and his- colleagues had aimed not at fixing figures but at securing an admission in priuciple.. This having been done, the next step is to agree upon the sums to: be paid. A later treaty will give effect to such an agreement, and that, treaty will, be followed Iby a Government guarantee for a Russian loan. It is evident that this procedure should satisfy the most suspicious of those critics who think that Russia is to receive her loan and give nothing in return. Theloan comes at the end and I not'at the beginning of the sequence." j The "Economist/ referring to the : fishing clause, of the Commerce and Na- | vigation Treaty, says :—"Actually tho < trawling interests do not appear dissat- ; isfied, for the Murmansk Coast Fishing Committee, meeting recently at Hull, passed a resolution approving tho liihiiig sections of the Treaty, while th'o Fleetwood President of the Biitish Trawlers Federation estimates at 4200 square miles the area that 'will be opened up by the new agreement. In view of these opinions, it is ridiculous to taunt the Government with having sacrificed British fishing interests to Soviet greed." The "London Observer' 7 of "lOthAugust, referring to the Treaty, says : "This lias been tho spirit of Mr. MacDonald's foreign policy. We congratulate him mosb heartily on the valuable and courageous' example of il \vhu:h ho has given the country in tho Russian 'Treaty. It.leaves every hope for the return of rational prLcsipJ£s to internation-

al affairs. Mr. Mac Donald took his risk. It is the business.ot statesmen to take risks. The risk he took was a risk on behalf of peace. The' world is still disorganised and its trade stagnant h&cause presumed statesmen have refused to take risks for peace. It is said that this is merely an agreement to agree. If that were all, it would be better than an agreement to disagree. But that is not all. It is a definite knitting up of relations with one of the great, peoples of the world. It narrows down the issues between two opposed theories of social organisation. It restores what can be restored and leaves the rest for time and the good-will implied in itself to settle." . So much for your remarks with regard to the Treaty. . Imperial Preference.—The point at issue here is the imposition of a duty on foodstuffs reaching the Homeland. The alleged beneficiary under the scheme was the farmer, and the New Zealand farmer in particular. The only possible method by which the farmer could-be h advantaged was by obtaining higher prices for his product. I think it may be taken for granted that there is not a farmer in New Zealand who desires higher pi ices for his products if these prices are to <be obtained by deprivation .of . the -poorer people in Great Britain, and this is the only source of increased prices; but if you will refer to the record of tli6 proceedings of the Imperial Ecoiiomic Conference, you will find that the proposals covered duty on dried figs, laisins, plums, currants, and other dried fruit, sugar, tobacco, honey, lime, lemon and other fruit juices, raw apples, and ] canned salmon, lobster, crayfish, and crabs. You will realise the extent that this will benefit the New Zealand farmer, and particularly New. Zealand in general, by reference to our exports of the products mentioned. , . .. With regard to European-politics and the new atmosphere, testimony can be obtained from all sources as to the splendid work done by.the Labour Cabinet in general, and Mr. Mac Donald in particular, to bring order out of the chaotic conditions that had arisen through the blundering of the old diplomats. After six months only of British Labour Government, on 3rd' August, General Smuts stated, "The world can now breathy .freely. ..." - On 23vd January of this year Labour took office, and within six short months I they had handled the European situa- [ tion in such a masterly fashion that a mutual-agreement had been arrived at j between France and Germany, and on i all sides the credit for this is given to j the Labour Prime Minister, who was in charge of foreign affairs. The1 "London Daily News" on 18th August, says: "Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald has induced France, and Germany to shake hands. . . . He has achieved in six months "what British .6tatesmen have been tryI ing vainly-to accomplish for. six years. In this sense the agreement reached on Saturday is really the foundation of a' new order in Europe." 1 The "New York Times,"1 on the next day, 19th August, said : "The success of. the Conference is a feather in. the Scots cap of Mr. Mac Donald. To hia unwearied efforts, patience and skilled mediation, the happy result is largely due." • > ■ ' : Mr. Hughes, American Secretary of State : "I think at least some, foundations have been laid for the economic recovery of Europe, and this will be to ; the advantage of all the Powers concerned. The important , thing is to imaka a start, and that has been done at last.'". •'■■•. . ■ These are the views of men who cannot in any way be classed as advocates of Labour s viewpoints, and yet they realise that it is by the application of j the Labour methods alone that this new ! atmosphere has been cheated. • ■ In conclusion, it is only necessary to state that the New Zealand Labour Party has not the slightest objection to the j ' capitalists and bourgeois of Britain, mentioned in your article cabling their views with regard to Imperial affairs to New Zealand. We have no objoction to,the Reform Party cabling the financiers, capitalists, and its other friends in Great Britain the party s view-point on all these ques- «?•??' j W,° havo no objection to Mr. YVilford cabling Mr. Asquith his views on Singapore, Imperial Preference, or, the Anglo-Russian Treaty, arid you may rest assured that on all occasions when the affairs-of the workers in Great Britain, or any other part of the British Commonwealth, are under considers tion, the views of New Zealand Labour will always be expressed, and you may «t.so rest assured that those views will always tend to oxtend tho goodwill between the varioue parts of the freedomloving ■ sections of tho Commonwealth, and if as you sn y, it is impertinence for all lovers of freedom" in New Zealand to urge the "lovers of freedom" in the Homeland to back up the Government winch has contributed more to the cause of freedom in nine months vnn m?x °f th° °ther Parties in *b many years, then we glory in tho impertint T uhe ,unwi"<=n laws of past ages fTWS when tho wellboing gof cd-i namM; o™momVea!th0™momVea!th " COUCenI- . T „ , W. NASH, 20* oSbHr 1 Secretary nzlp- i